Monday, August 22, 2011

The Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority, and Northern Virginia Regional Park Foundation, are working together help get children outside and in nature. The physical and mental health benefits as well as the learning that children are able to do when they spend time in nature is well documents. Just as well documented is the fact that children are spending less time outdoors.

To address this issue the Nature Nuts program has been developed with a goal of facilitating a meaningful nature experience for half a million children over the next five years through the Northern Virginia Regional Park System.

This program just received national recognition in the form of a great article in Park and Recreation Magazine. This is the publication of the National Recreation and Park Association and features the Nature Nuts program on pages 23 and 24 of the newly released August 2011 issue.

Addressing what best selling author Richard Louv called the "Nature Deficit Disorder" is one of the great challenges for organizations involved in managing public lands and engaging the public in the appreciation of nature. Engaging children with nature is the subject of one of the session at the 40th annual Special Park Districts Forum that the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority is hosting next month for park officials from all over North America. We will be highlighting the challenges and opportunities of this effort during this session.

With a limited number of days that registration is open for the Special Park District Forum, register soon and join us on September 25-28 as we work on this and other issues.

Friday, August 19, 2011

Around this time last year, I wrote a piece for Park and Recreation Magazine about the need to develop bold, innovative organizations in our field. With the recession, a business as usual attitude would not work. I used the metphor of Vikings vs Farmers. The article prompted a lot of thinking about how organizations can thrive in hard times. Three other articles playing off this them were written in the months that followed, all with interesting perspectives.

As I am preparing to teach a class this fall at George Mason University in the administration of Park, Health and Tourism organizations, one of the assignments will be to write a paper on these four articles.

Gilbert, Paul (September 2010), Are You a Viking or a Farmer, Park & Recreation Magazine

This link is also on the web site for Balls Bluff Battlefield Park, a property of the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority. This project was a fantastic way to engage young people in the 150th anniversary of the Civil War and make it fun and engaging for them.

Another great way to experience the history of this site will be the battle reenactment that will take place on the actual battlefield this fall on October 22nd. The link to this event is: http://www.nvrpa.org/events/view/1463, on this site is a link for even more information on this event.

Planning for the battle reenactment has been underway for over a year. It will be a one of a kind event, 150 years in the making. If you would like a glimps at what it must have been like during the Civil War, this is an event not to miss.

Monday, August 15, 2011

Waterparks of the Northern Virginia Regional Park System are more popular than they have ever been. Over the last five years we have renovated every one of them, and the public have flocked to them. With great theme that are fun for the whole family, and convenient locations throughout Northern Virginia, these waterparks offer a great close to home alternative to a larger vacation. As such that are a fantastic value. In many cases a day at one of these fun filled waterparks is the same or less than going to the movies.

In the summer of 2010 we hit a new high in waterpark popularity. But now that we are most of the way through the summer 2011 season, we can see that the popularity of these great waterparks keeps climbing. Below are the numbers indicating the year to date increase in waterpark attendance compared to the record breaking 2010 season. If you have not tries all of these waterparks yet this summer, do not miss your change.

About Me

I am the Executive Director of NOVA Parks (Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority). Prior to that, I was the President of the Northern Virginia Conservation Trust. NOVA Parks is a regional park system made up of three Counties and three Cities in Northern Virginia (Arlington, Fairfax and Loudoun Counties, and the Cities of Alexandria, Fairfax and Falls Church). NVRPA operates 30+ park and owns over 11,000 acres.
My family moved to Fairfax County when I was 1, so I am close to a native. I have a bachlors degree from St. Andrews University in N.C. and a masters degree from George Mason University. I also have a Certificate of Professional Development from the Wharton School of Business at UPA. I served on the Board of Regents for the NRPA Revenue Development and Management School, and am on the Board of Directors for Visit Fairfax.I am an Executive in Residense at George Mason University for their Recreation Management Program.
I also published two books one on leadership and the Civil War called "Lead Like a General." The other book is "High Performance Agencies: The Entrepreneurial Model for Public Park, Recreation and Tourism Organizations."